Device for moving goods in the cargo space of an aircraft

ABSTRACT

A device for loading and unloading goods in an aircraft is provided in the cargo space (1) of the aircraft. The device has at least one transport path (3; 3A, 3B) which is substantially parallel to the floor of the cargo space (1) and on which the goods is placed; a drive assembly (11, 13-19, 13&#39;, 17&#39;; 40-47) by means of which the transport path (3; 3A, 3B) can be driven forwards and backwards; and a wall (10) which extends vertically transversely of the cargo space, serves as a stop for the load piled on the belt and is connected to the transport path and movable together with it from a position adjacent the opening of the cargo space through which the goods is loaded and unloaded, to a position at the far end (1A) of the cargo space, and vice versa. The transport path comprises a mat structure (5) which is adapted to rest directly on the floor of the cargo space, such that the weight of the goods placed on the transport path is supported by the floor of the cargo space, both during displacement of the goods in the cargo space and during flight. The device may also comprise two side transport paths (3B) which are driven in synchronism with said first transport path.

The present invention relates to a device for moving goods in the cargospace of an aircraft, comprising a transport path which is substantiallyparallel to the floor of the cargo space and on which the goods is to beplaced, and a drive assembly for driving the transport path forwards andbackwards.

Many transports in and between different countries are today carried outby air, which means that substantial quantities of goods and luggage areloaded and unloaded every day from the cargo spaces of aircraft. Inlarge aircraft, such as jumbo jets and DC 10s, this is no major problemsince these have large cargo spaces and the goods can be loaded andunloaded from the aircraft by means of roller conveyors. In smalleraircraft typically having cargo spaces of a length of about 3-5 m and aheight of about 1 m, loading and unloading of goods is a problem towhich no satisfactory solution has yet been suggested. In these types ofaircraft, loading is carried out manually in that the personnel climbinto the cargo space and receive the goods through the entrance openingand move it into the cargo space where it is piled up. This is mostunsatisfactory from working environment aspects. The working space isconfined, work is heavy and involves turning and twisting of the body.When the weather is cold, the loading personnel will have to choose asuitable outfit, bearing in mind that heavy clothes are embarrassingwhen loading and unloading. Further, this loading technique is time- andlabour-consuming.

Thus, it would be desirable to have access to a mechanical devicecapable of carrying out this heavy work and of shortening the timerequired for the loading operations. Such a device is however difficultto design since there are many requirements and regulations to becomplied with. For instance, the device must not be heavy, because eachadditional kilo will raise fuel costs, but yet should be so stable andsturdy that it can handle heavy goods, such as newspapers. Further, thewalls and the floor of the cargo space should be easily accessible forinspection. Finally, it is also of importance that the device be sodesigned that the goods cannot slip underneath or beside the device andmake a hole in the floor or the walls.

For transporting goods on trucks, it is known from U.S. Pat.specification No. 4,345,869 to use a technique for moving the goods inthe cargo space of the truck which involves a conventional motor-poweredendless conveyor which is arranged in a recess in the floor of the cargospace and the length of which can be shortened and extended by means offlaps that can be folded over or removed from the conveyor. Duringtransport, the goods is piled on that part of the floor of the cargospace which is not occupied by the conveyor and on the flaps folded overthe conveyor During transport, the conveyor is thus not supporting anycargo.

This technique is however not applicable to aircraft since it is notpossible to mount a conveyor in a recess in the floor of the aircraftfuselage and since a conventional conveyor is far too heavy to complywith current weight specifications for airline transports.

The object of the present invention thus is to provide a device formoving goods in the cargo space of an aircraft, which improves theworking environment for the personnel charged with the loading andunloading of goods, and which shortens the time required for the loadingand unloading operations while fully complying with all requirements andsafety regulations on aircraft equipment. According to the invention,this object is achieved by means of a device of the type stated in theintroduction to this specification, which is characterized in that itcomprises a wall extending vertically transversely of the cargo spaceand serving as a stop for the goods placed on the transport path, saidwall being connected to the transport path and movable togethertherewith between one end position adjacent the opening of the cargospace through which the goods is loaded and unloaded, and another endposition at a far end of the cargo space; and that the transport pathcomprises a mat structure adapted to rest directly on the floor of thecargo space, such that the weight of the goods placed on the transportpath is supported by the floor of the cargo space, both duringdisplacement of the goods in the cargo space and during flight.

A device of the type described above eliminates the cumbersome workingoperation which, in connection with loading, consists in that theloading personnel crawl into the cargo space with the goods and pile itup and which, in connection with unloading, consists in that the loadingpersonnel crawl into the cargo space and pull the goods up to theopening in the aircraft fuselage. With a device according to the presentinvention, the goods need only be piled up against the wall or againstgoods previously loaded. The displacement of the goods to the far end ofthe cargo space is thereafter carried out with the aid of the transportpath while, for the purpose of unloading, the goods is moved by means ofthe transport path up to the opening in the aircraft fuselage. Moreover,the device is lightweight and space-saving so that almost the entirecargo space can be used for storing the goods. Finally, the device cutsloading times.

The present invention will now be described in greater detailhereinbelow in some embodiments, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of thedevice mounted in an aircraft fuselage. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional viewof a guide rail included in the device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is aperspective view of a movable wall included in the device of FIG. 1.FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the drive assembly for the deviceaccording to the invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing asecond embodiment of the device according to the invention. FIG. 6 showspart of the drive assembly in the second embodiment of the invention.FIG. 7 is a perspective view with certain parts broken away, showing athird embodiment of the invention.

As mentioned above, a device according to the present invention isintended to be placed in the cargo space 1 of an aircraft. The cargospace 1 has a far end 1A and a front end 1B adjacent an opening (notshown) through which the goods is loaded and unloaded. If this openingis located in the middle of the long side of the cargo space instead ofthe end thereof, two loading devices are required, one for each half ofthe cargo space. The floor 2 of the cargo space has a horizontal centralportion 2A and two arcuate side portions 2B which are slightly slantingtowards the central portion.

The loading device extends in the longitudinal direction of the cargospace 1 and comprises, in a first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, atransport path 3 extending substantially parallel to the floor of thecargo space and running over guide members 4 which are arranged at thefront end 1B of the cargo space and which in the illustrated embodimentconsist of a guide plate extending across the entire width of the cargospace. The transport path 3 comprises a flexible webbing or mat 5, thelength of which is at least equal to the length of the part of the cargospace used for storing goods and the width of which is substantiallyequal to the total width of the floor portions 2A, 2B, and narrow straps12 which are fixed in the mat. The straps may either be fixed in eachend of the mat or extend throughout the entire length of the mat, suchthat the ends of the same strap will extend from each end of the mat. Inorder that the mat should withstand heavy loads, it should consist ofwear-resistant material. One example of a suitable material is a wovenaramid fabric. The long sides of the mat run in guide rails 7 fixed tothe lateral edges of the floor. FIG. 2 shows an example of how such aguide rail 7 may be designed in the middle of the cargo space. In thisinstance, the guide rail is an aluminium section having an upper and alower groove 8 and 9, respectively. The upper part of the mat runs inthe upper groove 8 and the lower part of the mat in the lower groove 9.At the guide member 4, the upper groove 8 of the guide rail extendsaround the guide member and, at the underside thereof, joins the lowergroove 9. The guide rails prevent the mat from sliding down and looseobjects from slipping in underneath the mat.

The device further has a wall 10 with a vertical part which extendstransversely of the longitudinal direction of the transport path and theshape of which is conformed to the cross-section of the cargo space. Theconstruction of the wall 10 is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. Itappears from this figure that the wall 10 may also have a horizontalpart 101, the shape of which is conformed to the floor of the cargospace, and two side members 102. In the vertical part of the wall, thereis a door 103 allowing access to the means which are disposed behind thewall at the far end 1A of the cargo space and which will be described inmore detail hereinbelow. The wall 10 is connected to the mat 5 by meansof straps and, hence, will accompany the mat when being moved. Oneproblem that may arise during the movement of the wall together with themat is that the wall may come askew in the cargo space and jam. Toovercome this problem, the wall is provided with guide means. Theseguide means comprise a tube 105 fixed on each side of the wall. Eachtube extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the transportpath and a joint head 106 is screwed in each end of the tubes. One jointhead has a left-hand thread and the other a right-hand thread, whichmeans that the two joint heads are tightened or loosened when the tubeis rotated in one direction. Through the joint heads 106, there ismounted a threaded rod 107 which is screwed in a carriage 108 which inturn is sliding on a rail 109 extending along the wall of the cargospace. This arrangement thus ensures that the wall 10 will not comeaskew during its displacement in the cargo space. Further, said guidemeans ensure that the wall will not tilt upon acceleration ordeceleration.

As mentioned above, the transport path 3 is movable backwards andforwards in the longitudinal direction of the cargo space 1 in such amanner that the wall 10 can be moved from one end position adjacent thefar end 1A of the cargo space to another end position adjacent the frontend 1B of the cargo space, and vice versa. Naturally, the wall can bestopped at any point between these two end positions. The transportpaths are moved by means of a drive assembly comprising wind-up andpay-out means 11, 11', here consisting of rollers, and a motor (notshown in FIG. 1) which, together with the rollers 11, 11', is arrangedat the far end 1A of the cargo space so as to be out of the way duringloading. FIG. 4 schematically shows the drive assembly and the straps12, 12' connecting the rollers to the webbing or mat. As appears fromthis figure, the drive assembly comprises three front rollers 11 andthree rear rollers 11', the outer rollers being arranged at an angle tothe central rollers so as to be substantially parallel to the sideportions of the floor. The front rollers 11 are connected to one end ofthe mat 5 by means of straps 12 and the rear rollers 11' are similarlyconnected to the other end of the mat 5 by means of straps 12'. Further,the front rollers 11 and the rear rollers 11', are each connected to oneanother by means of shafts and joints and connected to a planetary gear13 and 13', respectively. On the output shafts 14 and 14' of theplanetary gears, gears 15 and 15', respectively, are mounted. The outputshafts 14 and 14' also carry an electromagnetic coupling 16 and 16',respectively, and a brake 17 and 17', respectively. The gears areconnected to a motor 19 by means of a toothed transport path 18.

When the transport path 3 is to be moved, the motor 19 is started, thegear 15' is engaged with the coupling 16' for movement in the forwarddirection (in connection with unloading), and the other gear 15 isengaged with the other coupling 16 for movement in the rearwarddirection (in connection with loading), and the rollers 11' and 11 arecaused to rotate. During unloading, the straps 12' are wound on therollers 11' while the straps 12 are unwound from the rollers 11, andvice versa during loading.

It should also be noted that the device is suitably controlled from acontrol panel at the opening of the cargo space and that limit switchesand emergency stops should be provided at the front and rear ends of thecargo space.

When the loading device should be blocked, one set of rollers 11; 11' islocked by means of the associated brake 17, 17'. The motor 19 isthereafter pulsecontrolled, and the other set of rollers 11'; 11 iscaused to rotate until the straps and the mat are stretched, whereuponthis set of rollers is also locked by means of its brake 17', 17.

An important demand placed on devices of this type is, as mentionedabove, the necessity of allowing convenient inspection of the floor,walls and ceiling of the cargo space. To allow inspection of a cargospace where the device according to the present invention is installed,the transport path is first moved such that the wall 10 is located inthe rear end position 1A. The mat can then be lifted at the front end 1Bby means of loops attached to the mat, thus making it possible toinspect the front half of the cargo space. The transport path isthereafter moved to a position where the wall 10 is located in themiddle of the cargo space. The distal half of the floor of the cargospace is then covered only by the narrow straps 12, 12' connected to therollers 11, 11', and can be inspected through the door in the wall.

Alternatively, the connections of the wall 10 to the guides provided onthe walls of the cargo space may be loosened, whereupon the entire matcan be lifted and the entire floor inspected.

Finally, it should be mentioned that it may be advantageous to coat thefloor 2 of the cargo space with a woven fabric of Teflon® (not shown) inorder to cover any unevennesses in the floor and to facilitate sliding.

Optionally, it may also be advantageous to fix a sliding cloth in athird groove (not shown) in the guide rail 7 between the grooves 8 and9. Such a cloth reduces the friction between the upper and lower partsof the mat.

The operation of the device will now be described in more detail. Whengoods should be loaded in the cargo space, the wall 10 is first moved upto its end position adjacent the front end 1B. The goods is moved up tothe opening of the cargo space and placed in the cargo space, stackedagainst the wall on the mat 5. When the space in front of the wall hasbeen filled to the desired height, the wall is moved a suitable distanceinwardly in the cargo space 1 and additional goods is loaded on thenewly appearing part of the mat. This operation is repeated until thecargo space is filled or until all the goods has been loaded. Unloadingis carried out in a similar way. Thus, the goods nearest the opening isremoved from the cargo space and the mat 5 and the wall 10 arethereafter moved in a direction towards the front end 1B, such thatfurther goods is available at the opening. By means of this device, itis possible to eliminate many of the heavy working operations requiredfor loading and unloading goods from cargo spaces, this considerablyimproving the working conditions of the personnel. In this context, itshould also be pointed out that the weight of the goods is supported onthe mat by the floor in the cargo space, both during shifting of thegoods in connection with loading and during flight. Thus, the loadingdevice has no load-bearing structure of its own.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the device according to thepresent invention This figure shows many of the components illustratedin FIG. 1 and the same reference numerals are used for these components.As appears from FIG. 5, the loading device of this embodiment comprisesthree transport paths 3A, 3B of which the transport path 3A extendsalong the central portion 2A of the floor and the other two transportpaths 3B extend along the side portions 2B of the floor. As in the firstembodiment, each transport path comprises a flexible webbing or mat 5whose length is equal to the length of the part of the cargo space usedfor storing goods and whose width is approximately equal to the width ofthe corresponding floor portion, and wide straps 12A, 12B attached tothe mat. Further, each transport path 3A, 3B passes around a guideroller 4A and 4B, respectively, arranged at the front end 1B of thecargo space, the guide roller 4A pertaining to the central transportpath 3A consisting of a single roller while the guide rollers 4Bpertaining to the side transport paths 3B suitably consist of threerollers articulated to each other to obtain improved stretching of theside transport paths. As in the first embodiment, the transport paths3A, 3B are suspended along their long sides from guide rails 7 which, inthis embodiment, do not however extend as far as the guide rollers. Thedevice further comprises a wall 10 which extends transversely of thelongitudinal direction of the transport paths 3A, 3B and which can befolded to allow access to the components disposed behind it. As earlier,the transport paths 3A, 3B are movable forwards and backwards in thelongitudinal direction of the cargo space 1 such that the wall 10 ismoved from its end position adjacent the far end 1A of the cargo spaceto its end position adjacent the front end 1B of the cargo space, andvice versa. The transport paths are moved by means of a drive assemblywhich is arranged in the far end of the cargo space and which in thisembodiment comprises only one roller 11 for each transport path andmotors (not shown) driving the transport paths synchronously. In orderto save space, the motors are suitably arranged within the drivingrollers 11. The transport paths 3A, 3B are connected to the drivingrollers 11 by means of the wide straps 12A, 12B which are attached bothto the webbing or mat of the transport paths and to the driving rollers.

One example of how these transport paths may be arranged is shown inFIG. 6. Two upper straps 12A are attached at one end to the upper partof the associated mat and at their other ends to the roller 11 on theupper side of which they run. The other three straps 12B are similarlyattached at one end to the lower part of the associated mat and at theirother ends to the roller 11 on the lower side of which they run duringwinding and unwinding. When the roller is driven in the direction of thearrow, the straps 12A will thus be unwound from the roller, the upperpart of the mat and the wall 10 will move towards the front end 1B, thelower part of the mat will move towards the rear end 1A, and the lowerstraps 12B will be wound on the rollers 11. Similarly, when the roller11 is driven in a direction contrary to that of the arrow, the upperstraps 12A will be wound on the roller and the lower straps 12B unwoundtherefrom.

The operation of the device is exactly the same as in the firstembodiment and, therefore, need not be further described.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 7 in which partscorresponding to parts previously described have been given the samereference numerals and will not be described hereinafter. The embodimentshown in FIG. 7 differs from the two embodiments described aboveprimarily in respect of the driving of the transport path, but also thedesign of the front end of the cargo space as well as the lateral guidesfor the transport path and the wall are slightly different.

The construction at the front end of the cargo space comprises a freelyhanging wing 30 which is fixed in the side walls of the cargo space Thewing 30 has a protective strip 31 serving to protect the transport pathduring loading and unloading of goods. Guide rollers 32, around whichthe mat 5 runs, are fixed at the front edge of the wing. Preferably,there is one roller for each of the floor portions 2A and 2B. The wing30 is further provided with brushes 33 which are spring-loaded againstthe mat and serve to remove dirt or litter therefrom so that no looseobjects can slip in underneath the device and cause damage.

The device according to this embodiment of the invention furthercomprises a slide plane 60 which at the front end is fixed to the wing30 and which is otherwise supported at the far end 1A of the cargospace, such that, when in the unloaded state, it is supported clear ofthe floor at a small distance therefrom. The mat 5 runs on the upperside of the slide plane 60, passes over the guide rollers 32 and returnsat the underside of the slide plane between this and the floor. Theslide plane 60 serves to reduce the friction between the upper and thelower part of the mat 5. When the goods is placed on the transport path,the slide plane 60 will sag and, as in the embodiments described above,the weight of the goods will be taken up by the floor. The mat structureconsisting of the slide plane 60 and the mat 5 thus has no supportingcapacity. Thus, the arrangement is resting directly on the floor, sothat the weight of the goods placed on the belt is supported by thefloor in the cargo space, both during displacement of the goods in thecargo space and during flight.

In this embodiment of the invention, the transport path 3 is driven by achain drive. Endless chains 40 are provided at both long sides of thetransport path 3 and also along the two lines of intersection betweenthe horizontal portions 2A and inclined portions 2B of the floor. Thechains 40 are provided with flanges, preferably riveted to the mat 5.The chains run along said two lines of intersection in guides (notshown) which in the same manner as the slide plane 60 are fixed in thewing 30 and at the far end 1A of the cargo space. At the underside ofthe guides, there may be provided rollers which take up the stressesexerted on the guides when goods are placed on the transport path. Oneach long side of the cargo space, the transport path 5 and the chain 40fixed at the respective side thereof run in a section 50 holding thechain in place and guiding it. Also the wall 10 runs at its sides in thesection 50. In the far end 1A of the cargo space, the chains pass aroundtoothed wheels 41 which by conventional shafts 42, toothed wheels 43,toothed transport paths 44 and a coupling 45 are driven by a motor 46which is powered from a power source 47. Many different variants of themode of driving the chains 40 are possible within the scope of theinvention.

This embodiment of the invention operates in exactly the same way as theembodiments described above and, thus, the operation need not be furtherdescribed here.

It goes without saying that the present invention may be modified inmany different ways within the spirit and scope of the accompanyingclaims. Hence, the device is not restricted to the embodiments describedabove, but combinations thereof and modifications are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive principle. For instance, the guide meansmay be replaced by a driven roller on which the mat is wound when thetransport path is driven so as to move the wall in a direction towardsthe opening, and from which the mat is paid out when the transport pathis driven in the opposite direction. In a further alternative, the guidemeans can be replaced by other means in which the mat is collected, forinstance in a folded state, when the transport path is moving towardsthe opening, and from which the mat, as earlier, is paid out when thetransport path moves in the opposite direction.

I claim:
 1. Device for moving goods in the cargo space (1) of anaircraft, comprising at least one transport path (3; 3A, 3B) which issubstantially parallel to the floor of the cargo space (1) and on whichthe goods is to be placed, and a drive assembly (11, 13-19, 13'-17';40-47) for driving said transport path backwards and forwards,characterized in that the transport path comprises a mat (5) and has alower run arranged to rest directly on the floor of the cargo space (1),and an upper run arranged to rest over the lower run in such a mannerthat the weight of the goods placed on the transport path is supportedvia said runs by the floor of the cargo space, both during displacementof goods in the cargo space and during flight.
 2. Device as claimed inclaim 1, characterized by a guide plate (4) which is substantiallyparallel to the floor of the cargo space and disposed at one end of saidtransport path and over which said transport path is arranged to run. 3.Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized by friction-reducingmeans (60) provided between the upper run and the lower run of thetransport path.
 4. Device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in thatthe friction-reducing means comprise a slide plane (60) which is fixedat the front and rear ends (1B and 1A, respectively) of the transportpath, such that, when in the unloaded state, it extends parallel to thefloor of the cargo space at a small distance therefrom.
 5. Device asclaimed in claim 1, characterized by a wall (10) extending verticallytransversely of the cargo space and serving as a stop for the goodsplaced on the transport path, said wall being connected to the transportpath and movable together therewith between one end position (1B)adjacent the opening of the cargo space through which the goods isloaded and unloaded, and another end position at a far end (1A) of thecargo space.
 6. Device as claimed in claim 1 characterized by guides (7;50) which extend along the long sides of each transport path (3; 3A, 3B)and in which the lateral edges of the transport path run.
 7. Device asclaimed in claim 1 characterized in that the wall is connected to means(108) which are displaceable on or in rails (109) provided on the sidewalls of the cargo space for guiding said wall.
 8. Device as claimed inclaim 1 characterized in that the mat structure comprises a flexiblewebbing or mat (5) and friction-reducing means (60) provided between theupper and the lower part of the mat (5).
 9. Device as claimed in claim 1characterized in that the friction-reducing means comprise a slide plane(60) which is fixed at the front and rear ends (1B and 1A, respectively)of the transport path, such that, when in the unloaded state, it extendsparallel to the floor of the cargo space at a small distance therefrom.10. Device as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that the length of themat (5) is at least equal to the distance from the opening in the cargospace to the far end position (1A) of the wall.